Ibec Podcasts

What can the corporate world learn from a radical feminist and activist? In the second episode of the Courageous Leaders podcast, Ibec Head of Skills and Social Policy Dr. Kara McGann is joined by Ailbhe Smyth, one of Ireland’s most influential social changemakers. As a key figure behind the Marriage Equality and Repeal the 8th campaigns, Ailbhe has endless experience in building broad coalitions...

In this episode, Bernie McMeel, OSH Executive, and Neil O’Brien, Senior Employer Relations and Communications Executive, discuss the data protection responsibilities that arise when dealing with occupational safety and health issues.   Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here .  Make sure to follow Ibec Podcasts to stay up to date with new episodes.

In this episode of our Preparing for Pay Transparency series, Pauline O’Hare, Senior Legal Director, and Kara McGann, Head of Skills and Social Policy, discuss the changes the transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive will have on gender pay gap reporting and how employers can best prepare for this. Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here .  Make s...

Courageous Leaders is a brand new Ibec podcast series, as part of our 'Open for Business' campaign, where we hear from leaders across business and wider society on the importance of Ireland’s commitment to openness, inclusion and respect, in underpinning our economic success and social progress.   In the first episode of the Courageous Leaders podcast, Ibec CEO Danny McCoy sits down with...

In this episode of KC Connect, Neil O’Brien, Senior Employer Relations and Communications Executive, and Aoife McFadden, Legal Director, discuss new regulations which set minimum contribution rates which must be met for an employee to be exempted from pension auto-enrolment and how employers should approach this.  Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here...

Despite some signs of softening, the Irish economy has proven resilient in the face of the uncertainty of the past year. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Ibec’s Chief Economist Gerard Brady, and Economist Mourad Mejdi, discuss the major economic events of 2025 including the areas of international trade and the labour market… and look forward to 2026, analysing how developments in geopolitics and...

Accessibility and inclusive leadership practises are reshaping how organisations attract, develop, and retain talent. With one in five working-age individuals living with a disability, and many others experiencing differences that may not always be visible, proactive and strategic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential for removing barriers and creating equitable opportunitie...

At the mid-point of the EU’s ‘Digital Decade’, the Irish Presidency provides a crucial opportunity to engage with business to deliver shared digitalisation ambitions.   In this episode of Ibec Responds, Erik O’Donovon, Head of Digital Economy Policy, is joined by Áine Clarke, Digital and AI Affairs Executive.    Together, they examine Ibec's latest paper “Digital and AI: Simplification, Innov...

Security and defence are central to Europe’s capacity to prosper. The geopolitical shocks of recent years have confirmed that competitiveness cannot be separated from security. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Jackie King, Executive Director of Ibec Global, is joined by Ibec CEO Danny McCoy, together they examine how security sits within a broader framework of resilience, serving as the essential...

Europe stands at a crossroads where social ambition must align with economic reality. Following a tidal wave of new directives, businesses are now facing "legislative saturation," prompting a call to shift focus from creating new laws to ensuring competitiveness and practical implementation. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Dr. Kara McGann, Head of Skills and Social Policy, is joined by...

With pension auto-enrolment due to commence from 1 January 2026, businesses are taking steps to make sure they are ready for how this might impact them. In this episode, Neil O’Brien, Senior Employer Relations and Communications Executive, and Aoife McFadden, Legal Director, discuss the basic details of the scheme and what employers need to know to prepare.  Thank you for listening. To explore all...

The Pay Transparency Directive came into force in June 2023 and Ireland will have to transpose the Directive by June 2026. The Directive contains a range of new obligations for employers including the obligation to categorise employees according to who is performing work of the same work or work of equal value based on objective gender neutral criteria. This will require a complex job evaluation e...

Renewed political momentum around the EU Single Market comes amidst increasing geopolitical uncertainty, positioning it as key to enhancing competitiveness and resilience, and withstanding trade and economic turbulence. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Róisín de Bhaldraithe, EU Policy Executive, and Martynas Barysas, Director for Internal Market at BusinessEurope, examine the European Commission’...

Ireland's eighth Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2026 arrives at a pivotal time for our country and for Europe, offering a unique opportunity to influence the EU's policy direction. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Fergal O’Brien, Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence, is joined by Pat Ivory, Director of EU and International Affairs, to provide overview...

Following the release of our 2025 HR Update Report, Fiona Higgins, Head of Knowledge Centre and Stephen Driver, Head of Advocacy, provide an overview of the key findings in relation to HR priorities going into 2026.  Our 2025 HR Update Report can be downloaded here. Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here .  Make sure to follow Ibec Podcasts to stay up t...

Budget 2026 puts focus driving innovation, protecting, and creating jobs, and increasing investment in critical infrastructure. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Ger Brady, Chief Economist, and Mourad Mejdi, Economist, give their reaction and analysis to Budget 2026, detail key measures, and discuss the impact of Budget 2026 on Irish business. Find out more: https://www.ibec.ie/budget2026 Thank yo...

The Irish economy has again proven resilient in the face of challenge over the first three quarters of 2025. Investment and consumer demand in particular have held up despite enormous uncertainty about the global trading environment. Ireland’s economy is still benefitting from the remarkable momentum it had built over the last number of years. However there are challenges ahead, driven by a slowin...

The recent publication of the Government’s Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity is a positive and important step in future-proofing Ireland’s economic model in a time of global change. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Gerard Brady, Chief Economist, and Fergal O’Brien, Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence, examine the detail of the Action Plan, the strong alignment between eleme...

In the second episode of our Preparing for Pay Transparency series, Nichola Harkin, Head of Employment Law Services, and Kara McGann, Head of Skills and Social Policy, discuss the policy background and context for the Pay Transparency Directive.  As employer’s prepare for the introduction of the Directive, the two discuss the intention behind the legislation and Ibec’s key priorities for the Irish...

Hybrid and remote working has transformed the workplace. With companies still working to cultivate the optimum blend of technology enabled, and in-person collaboration that is crucial to success. In this episode of Ibec WorkTalks, Fiona Higgins, Head of Knowledge Centre in Ibec, and Dr. Tatiana Andreeva from Maynooth University explore the hidden dynamics of hybrid work. Drawing on Tatiana’s lates...

The upcoming BioPharmaChem Ireland Budget 2026 submission places skills and innovation at its core, emphasising the need for public investment and strategic collaboration across the ecosystem to unlock the sector’s full potential. In the latest episode of Ibec Responds, Dr. Sinead Keogh, Director of Biopharmachem Ireland and Head of Ibec Sectors, is in conversation with Darrin Morrissey, CEO of NI...

Ireland’s pharmaceutical research model took a bold but necessary leap with the creation of SSPC, The Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals. SSPC is a world-leading hub of innovation supporting the bio-pharmaceutical industry.   In the latest episode of Ibec Responds, Dr Sinead Keogh, Director of BioPharmaChem Ireland and Ibec Head of Sectors, is joined by Jamie Guidera, interim COO at SSPC....

Ireland is behind the curve in the adoption of artificial intelligence, with many business leaders feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about where to start —Yet this presents an unparalleled opportunity for HR to take the lead in driving impactful AI integration across organisations. In this episode of Ibec WorkTalks, Vicky O'Neill, HR Strategy Specialist at Ibec, is joined by Stephanie Prender...

The Experience Economy consists of businesses and organisations that create immersive, memorable experiences for people, in addition to selling goods and services. It spans the arts, cultural, sporting and heritage sectors, as well as hospitality, retail, travel, tourism, entertainment, and events and the supply chain that supports them. In this episode of Ibec Responds, Aviné McNally, Head of Mem...

In this episode of KC Connect, Neil O'Brien, Senior Employer Relations and Communications Executive, and Antoinette Cunningham, Employer Relations Executive, discuss the options for employers in carrying out criminal background checks in Ireland, and how they should approach a situation where an employee declares a criminal conviction.  Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's p...